Recovery retort for mercury and the like



Feb. 24, 1942. w. BROTHERTQN 2,273,929

RECOVERY RETORT FOR MERCURY AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 12, 1941 II III IIIINVENTOR z%e/jioiz 7/ was:

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 asoovrmr RETORT FOR MERCURY AND THE LIKE lWilliam Brotherton, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Elizabeth M. Price,Chicago, 111.

Application February 12, 1941;, Serial No. 378,560

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in distillation apparatus for therecovery of mercury or similar products from their natural ores, and hasfor its principal object to provide a simple and improved form ofdistillation apparatus for the purpose mentioned, operating on a novelprinciple whereby practically all the mercury or the like can beextracted from the ore and whereby the escape of unhealthful, noxiousvapors from the apparatus will be eliminated.

The conventional form of apparatus most widely used for many years inthe recovery of mercury from cinnabar consists of a retort contained ina heated furnace or oven, having one or more discharge tubes extendinglaterally from the retort and thence through the furnace wall. Theretort is charged with cinnabar and when heat is applied thereto themercury is driven from the ore in the form of mercury vapor. The

vapor passes through th tubes to the exterior of the furnace where it iscondensed by cooling and finally drawn off in liquid form.

With the conventional form of apparatus above described, up to 40% ofthe ore has heretofore been considered unrecoverable and remains in thecharge of ore, or is deposited in the retort or along the walls of thedischarge tube.

I have found that this inefficiency of the present apparatus is largelydue to the fact that the mercury vapor is allowed to become partiallychilled before it reaches a point where it will flow by gravity awayfrom the retort. As a result, the chilled or partially condensed vaportends to produce reverse eddy currents in the discharge tubes,

which prevent the free flow of vapor to the proper condensation areas,and sets up a continuous cycle of redepositing some of the mercury inthe retort and ore charge.

Moreover, with the conventional form of apparatus above referred to,poisonous or noxious fumes and vapors often escape, seriouslyendangering the health of those who work in the vicinity.

With my improved form of apparatus, I find it possible to recover a muchgreater percentage of mercury from a given charge of ore, and also toeliminate the dangers of escaping fumes and vapors.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein the single figure shows a fragmentary view, inperspective, of a distillation apparatus constructed in accordancetherewith.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, a retort Iis enclosed and suitdisposed on a horizontal axis within the oven so asto be readily charged and discharged with ore from one end or the otherin any well known manner. When in use, the ends of the retort are sealedgas tight by any suitable closure means, herein consisting of end plates[3, l3 each having a locking bar l4 detachably secured in lugs I5, l5 atopposite sides of the retort.

As shown in the drawing, the retort is preferably disposed wholly withinthe furnace ll so as to be subjected to heat on all sides. The retortcan be reached through end doors I I of the furnace for charging ordischarging the ore.

Leading from the top of the retort II] are one or more vapor dischargetubes l6 for carrying off the mercury vapors from the ore, said tubesproject upwardly and then arch laterally, with the highest point orarched portion ll of each tube disposed within the upper portion of thefurnace. The tubes then are inclined downwardly from the highest pointbefore they pass through the side wall of the furnace. The outer endportion I8 of said tubes is connected to a condenser, indicatedgenerally at l9, herein consisting of a water jacketed manifoldextending along th side of the furnace. The condensed mercury cools inliquid form in the manifold and may be drawn off through the tap 20 atone end thereof. The water jacket surrounding the manifold has inlet andoutlet water pipes 2| and 22 connected thereto.

The operation of the apparatus above described ls as follows: A chargeof ore is placed in the retort Ill, and the latter is closed and sealedgas tight. Heat is then applied within the furnace so as to free themercury from the ore in the form of mercury vapor. The vapor passes upthe tubes I6, l6 and is maintained at fully vaporizing temperaturewithin the furnace until after it has passed over the highest or archedportion ll of the tubes. Thereafter, the vapor passes out of the furnacethrough the downwardly inclined end portions l8 wherein it is subject toair cooling. A portion of the vapor is condensed in said end portionsand the remainder is condensed in the water jacketed manifold I9. Themercury in condensed liquid form is drawn off through the tap 20.

Obviously the number and arrangement of discharge tubes It may bevaried, depending upon the size and shape of the retort l0 and thefurnace II. For instance, some of the tubes may be arched toward theopposite side of the furnace and led into a, similar condenser disposedalong the other side of the apparatus.

From the above description it will now be understood that the mercuryvapor is not condensed until after it has passed over the highest pointof the tubes [6. In other words, all condensation takes place either inthe downwardly inclined end portion l8 of said tubes, where the liquidmercury will flow into the manifold, or in the manifold itself. I findthat due to this novel arrangement, substantially all the free mercurycan be recovered from a given charge of cinnabar.

Alhough I have shown one embodiment of my invention, it will beunderstood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact constructiontil shown and described, but that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention asdefined in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In an apparatus for distilling mercury or the like, a retort, heatingmeans for said retort, a

vapor discharge duct leading from the top of said retort, a portion ofsaid duct being arched upwardly and thence downwardly in an unrestrictedpath within the vaporizing influence of said heating means, and theremaining portion of said duct being inclined continuously downwardlybeyond the vaporizing influence of said heating means, whereby allproducts of condensation in the portion of said duct beyond the archedportion thereof willdrain away from said retort.

WILLIAM BROTHERTON.

